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Early promotions helped holiday shoppers get ahead this year. NRF's latest survey finds that as of December 10, the average holiday shopper has completed 52.9 percent of their shopping as of December 10, up from 49.9 percent last year. View survey highlights and check out key stats on SlideShare.

Deep discounting and early sales helped lift spending in November. NRF calculates that retail sales (not including automobiles, gas stations or restaurants) increased 0.6% seasonally-adjusted over October and 3.2% unadjusted year-over-year. Gains were consistent with NRF’s holiday sales forecast, which anticipates an increase of 4.1% over 2013. Read the article.

Online holiday shoppers may be waiting for Cyber Monday to see what promotions retailers have planned. More than 126 million Americans plan to shop online on Cyber Monday. Nearly 85 percent will use a computer at home, and one in five plan to use a mobile device to shop. View survey highlights.

Early promotions, online shopping and an improving economy are changing the way millions of consumers shop for the holidays. Black Friday still draws the biggest crowds, with nearly 87 million shoppers in stores and online. Explore trends and view survey highlights.

“Reports of record-breaking online sales and store crowds point to a more confident and savvy holiday shopper who knows when, where and how to take advantage of all the promotions retailers are offering," NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay says. Read the statement.

Barbie had a good run as number one, but there's a new queen in town. NRF's survey finds one in five parents plan to buy Disney’s Frozen merchandise for the little girls in their life this holiday season, beating Barbie for the first time in the survey’s 11-year history. LEGO toys are number one again for boys this year. View survey results.

Retailers and consumers are gearing up for the biggest shopping weekend of the holiday season. This year, 140 million Americans are likely to shop in stores or online during Thanksgiving weekend. Nearly eight in 10 Millennials ages 18-24 plan to shop over the weekend, the highest of any age group. View survey results.

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On the Street

NRF asked shoppers in Washington, DC how they plan to shop over Thanksgiving weekend.

Effective crowd management is a year-round priority for retailers. But special events around the holidays elevate the importance of planning and protocols that protect customers, employees and stores. NRF's crowd management guidelines help retailers plan for millions of shoppers on Thanksgiving weekend. Learn more or download the guidelines.

The growth in gift card popularity is irrefutable, and this holiday season spending on tiny plastic or digital gift cards will top all previous records. The average person buying gift cards will spend $172.74, up from $163.16 last year, with total spending expected to reach $31.74 billion. View survey results.

Nearly half of holiday shoppers haven't started yet, according to NRF's survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics. Retailers have reacted to this "wait and see" mentality with fewer October promotions and a quieter entry into November. View survey results.

With expectations higher than ever, retailers are assertively preparing their shipping operations to avoid delivery and service hiccups. Nearly eight in 10 retailers surveyed will set their standard shipping deadlines for guaranteed Christmas delivery to expire at least a week before the big day, compared to 73 percent last holiday season. View survey results.

Shop.org's eHoliday survey looks at how retailers and consumers plan to approach the holidays, with topics ranging from mobile optimization and marketing to personalization and paid search. The average online shopper plans to spend $931.75 this year, 16 percent more than all holiday shoppers. Check out the highlights and download complete survey results.

NRF's consumer spending survey finds that the average shopper plans to spend $804, up nearly 5 percent over last year’s actual $767. A record-high 56 percent plan to shop online, up from 51.5 percent last year and the most in the survey’s 13-year history. View survey results and listen to audio from the media briefing.

2013 was no easy street for retail – and it didn’t help that many of the status reports and rumors didn’t reflect what was really happening in the industry. We’ve taken a look back at what we heard in the media and elsewhere, and compared it with research data collected during and after the season. Learn more or download the report.

A shortened holiday calendar, an early Thanksgiving and an October government shutdown puts the 2013 holiday season in the books as one of the most interesting in history. For the first time in 17 years, holiday shoppers watched as Washington shut its doors for two weeks in October. During his annual holiday forecast media call, NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay told listeners that the 3.9 percent forecast “was a very realistic look at where we are in the current economy.”

The economic picture going into the holiday season was much like it was the year prior – uncertain. Government data showed a crosscurrent of indicators that hung in the balance of Washington’s decision to avoid a “fiscal cliff.” NRF’s first holiday spending survey found that consumers would spend close to what they’d spent the previous year, an average of $740 on gifts, decorations, flowers, food and more.

In December, NRF announced it was revising its holiday forecast upwards to 3.8 percent from the original forecast of 2.8 percent. Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz commented, “Consumer spending this holiday season has surpassed expectations, though many shoppers continue to stick to their budgets and buy only what they need. Despite modest job and income growth, consumers have continuously proven they have the capacity to spend.” Holiday sales in 2011 ended up increasing even more than expected at 4.8 percent.

Looking for employees with a commitment to customer satisfaction? The NRF Foundation issues nationally recognized certifications in customer service, sales and retail management. A new online registry lets employers verify the certification status of applicants and search for prospective employees with a demonstrated interest in retail.